1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of connecting communication apparatuses with each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
In wireless communications complying with IEEE802.11 standard, various communication parameters should be set before performing communications. Note that “IEEE” stands for “The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.”
Examples of the parameters to be set include an SSID serving as a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method, and an authentication key. Manual inputs thereof are considerably troublesome for users. Note that the “SSID” stands for Service Set Identifier.
Therefore, a method for automatically setting the communication parameters to wireless apparatuses with ease has been proposed. “Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ for Wi-Fi Protected Setup: Easing the User Experience for Home and Small Office Wi-Fi® Networks, http://www.wi-fi.org/wp/wifi-protected-setup” discloses WPS which is standardized by Wi-Fi Alliance as an example of the method for automatically setting the communication parameters. Note that the “WPS” stands for Wi-Fi Protected Setup.
In the method for automatically setting the WPS, the communication parameters are supplied from one apparatus to another in accordance with predetermined procedures and messages, and are automatically set.
The method for automatically setting the communication parameters includes a method for inputting an authentication code in one of the apparatuses by a user (hereinafter referred to as an “authentication code method”) and a method without using the authentication code (hereinafter referred to as a “non-authentication code method”).
In the authentication code method, the authentication code is shared by the apparatuses so that the apparatuses authenticate each other, and if the authentication is successfully performed, setting processing is performed between the apparatuses. By performing the authentication operation, one of the apparatuses securely transmits communication parameters to another.
In the non-authentication code method, when a communication apparatus in which automatic setting of the communication parameters thereof is activated is detected, the communication parameters are automatically transmitted to the communication apparatus. An example of the non-authentication code method includes a method for starting setting processing of a first apparatus in response to a press of a setting-start button disposed on the first apparatus, and performing automatic setting between the first apparatus and a second apparatus in which setting processing thereof is similarly started during the setting processing of the first apparatus. Although the non-authentication code method is inferior to the authentication code method in security, it saves the user the trouble of inputting the authentication code. That is, operability is improved.
As described above, in the automatic setting of communication parameters, a plurality of communication-parameter sets may be simultaneously transmitted to a wireless apparatus. However, there is no assurance that all the communication-parameter sets are used for connection between the wireless apparatuses.
Furthermore, some general base-station apparatuses each include devices used to reconstruct networks after automatic settings are performed. Such apparatuses do not accept connection requests from the wireless apparatuses while reconstructing the networks. Therefore, while the base-station apparatuses are reconstructing the networks, processing of connecting the wireless apparatuses fails.
Furthermore, since different base-station apparatuses require different reconstruction times, it is difficult to determine whether connection failed due to inappropriate communication parameters or due to insufficient preparation of the base-station apparatus.
Therefore, a method for repeatedly attempting the connection processing with an identical communication parameter set or a method for attempting the connection processing by successively switching communication-parameter sets from one to another may be used.